Yunxi paused midair and hid herself, sending out her divine sense to examine the Wei clan estate in detail. Her expression turned unreadable.
Dian Dian worked his little nose, then said with certainty, "Master, there is the scent of evil cultivators around the Wei estate. They must have lingered a long time. Even now the traces have not fully dispersed."
Yunxi ground her teeth. "The Wei estate has been ringed with a formation laid by evil cultivators."
Dian Dian asked at once, "Master, what formation is it? Can you tell?"
Yunxi said coolly, "Do you remember the Xiao clan in Xiaohe City?"
"I remember."
"The formation around the Wei estate is the very one that wiped out the Xiao clan."
Back then, although they had left Xiaohe City without learning the city lord's follow-up investigation, the five of them had still gone to check outside the Xiao estate. With Cao Yi being a fourth-grade array master, the evil cultivators' formations had left a deep impression, especially the one that plundered Wei Lingkai's Shengji. Cao Yi had studied it and explained its principles to them in brief.
She had not expected the evil cultivators to use the same move on her. They knew she would return to the Wei clan, so they laid their trap in advance and waited for her to bite.
Hearing this, Dian Dian's tail lashed harder. He sent an anxious transmission, "Master, are we still going in?"
Yunxi rubbed her fingers. "Of course we are. Otherwise how do we drag the hidden evil cultivators of Kunyu City into the light?"
Dian Dian grew very solemn. "Master, that will be dangerous. What if you are trapped in the evil formation? To deal with you, they might have added extra tricks inside. Dian Dian will not go near the Wei estate. The closer I get, the more my fur stands on end."
"Dian Dian, that is a good reminder. It seems they hate me to the bone and want to use the Wei clan to strike at me."
She flashed back to the Feng estate.
Seeing Yunxi return so soon, Ancestor Feng Feng asked with concern, "Yunxi, why are you back? Has something happened at the Wei clan?"
It was not a strange question. Yunxi always came and went quickly. If not for exposing the infiltrators in the Feng clan, she would not have returned at all.
Yunxi did not hide anything. "The Wei clan has been encircled by a formation. They are waiting for me to walk right in."
"What?"
Ancestor Feng Feng shot to his feet, his voice rising. "How is that possible? Why did I not notice?"
Yunxi replied evenly, "The formation targets me specifically. It will only activate if I enter. Ancestor, you have not gone to the Wei estate, so you would not detect it.
Besides, if the evil cultivators want to ambush me, they will not do it with a fanfare. I also suspect that among those guarding the Wei clan now, some have defected to the evil cultivators or been taken over. Otherwise they could not have set the array without a sound."
Feng Feng forced himself calm and sat back down. Since Yunxi had already seen through the plot, the question was how to counter it.
"Yunxi, what do you plan to do?"
Yunxi touched the jade pendant at her waist. "Tomorrow I will go to the City Lord's Manor first and inform the city lord. I will have him seal the city in secret. After that, I will deal with all the evil cultivators in Kunyu City, including those in the Wei clan."
"Good. I understand. Do you need the Feng clan to mobilize people to assist you?"
"No. Once the city is sealed and they cannot leave, I can pinpoint them and sweep them all up."
"Very well. Then stay at the Feng estate tonight."
"No need. I only came to inform Ancestor. Restrain the clan for the next two days. When I move, it is best to activate the clan-protection grand array. Do not give the evil cultivators any chance."
"I understand. The Feng clan is my responsibility. I will guard it. You do what you must."
Yunxi nodded and flashed away from the Feng estate, this time heading to the City Lord's Manor of Kunyu City.
Since she had joined Haoran Sect, she had returned to Kunyu City only a handful of times. But the Wei clan's roots were here. Though most of the Wei clan had relocated, the Wei estate remained, for her sake.
Now the evil cultivators were using the Wei estate to set a trap to kill her. Breaking the game would cause a commotion. She had to inform the city lord out of courtesy and duty. She had also accepted the task of tidying Kunyu City. As lord of a city, he had the right to know what would happen next.
City Lord Kun Sang received the calling card from the guards and asked, uncertain, "You say the visitor claims to be Wei Yunxi of the Wei clan?"
"Yes, City Lord. The visitor is a female cultivator. Her cultivation is on par with yours."
The guard answered respectfully.
"Tsk. What are you waiting for? Invite her in."
"City Lord, I have already escorted her to the side hall."
A guard of the City Lord's Manor had sharp eyes. He could tell the visitor's bearing was extraordinary and that her cultivation surpassed even his lord's, so after accepting the card, he had brought her directly to the side hall.
Hearing this, Kun Sang's expression eased. He rose and went to the side hall.
Yunxi sat at the tea table, examining the spirit tea. She had just lifted the fragrance to her nose when a gray-robed figure appeared. Beaming, the newcomer cupped his hands. "I am Kun Sang. Greetings to Wei Zhēnjūn. I beg pardon for not welcoming you sooner."
Yunxi took in City Lord Kun Sang's honest, simple air and returned the salute with a smile. "City Lord Kun, you honor me. Wei came without notice and disturbed your peace. Pray do not blame me."
"Not at all. Your visit brings splendor to my humble estate."
Unsure why Wei Yunxi had come, Kun Sang could only keep a smiling, courteous front.
Yunxi exchanged a few polite lines, then drew a jade slip from her bracelet, handed it over, and said seriously, "City Lord Kun, the news within concerns the peace of Kunyu City. However you choose to act, do so with utmost care."
Kun Sang let his smile fade and nodded gravely. He examined the jade slip on the spot.
Half a cup of tea later, he withdrew his divine sense, his expression growing more severe. He even ground his teeth. "Those damned evil cultivators. Their claws have stretched this far already. Then Kunyu City—"
He looked to Yunxi.
"Rest easy. Because of the joint action of the five regions, the evil cultivators have suffered losses and are in temporary retreat. But they refuse to let me or the Wei clan go. They have already set a trap at the Wei estate, waiting for me to step inside."
"Wei Daoyou, I will never allow such a thing to happen in Kunyu City. If they succeed, they will think the city lord is easy to bully, and more will infiltrate. What would Kunyu City become then? A lair for evil cultivators? I, Kun Sang, will never permit Kunyu City to sink to that."
By the end, he was grinding out the words.
Only then did Yunxi say, "Therefore, I intend to sweep every infiltrator in one net. I ask the City Lord to cooperate by sealing the city in secret the moment I return to the Wei estate."